The Top Dos and Don’ts For Vein Health

Last updated: March 8, 2019

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When it comes to vein health, the number of people who suffer from varicose veins and spider veins will likely blow you away. Would you guess that 30% of Americans struggle with these vein issues? Because that’s the statistic we are looking at today. With numbers as high as that, vein health is a problem that should be more widely understood. Unfortunately, it is not. There are a number of myths around varicose veins that have led people to misunderstand vein health that we at Vein Clinics of America work to bust. With a better understanding of vein health, people will better know what they should and shouldn’t be doing if their vein health is at risk. We are here to help you get the information you need to stay healthy and happy, and to know the dos and don’ts for vein health.

What You Should and Shouldn’t Do With Your Problem Veins

There are many things you probably don’t think of that can affect your vein health. Today, we are going to discuss those things.

DON’Ts

Let’s start with what you should not be doing.

DON’T sit or stand for long periods of time. In case you missed our article about the health hazards of sitting, we’ll do a little recap. Sitting or standing for too long can be a massive problem for all aspects of your health, especially your vein health.

Here are the problems you’ll face from a sedentary lifestyle:

Sitting burns fewer calories. Low-energy activities such as sitting or lying down do not require much energy, and as a result, keep your daily calorie burn to a minimum.

Sitting means greater chances of weight gain. The more you sit, the less you’re being mobile, which means you’re at a higher risk of becoming overweight, and possibly even obese.

Sitting puts you at risk for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. People who sit for long periods of time without lowering their caloric intake to accommodate are at high risk of becoming insulin resistant.

Sitting leads to early death. The majority of people who spend a great deal of time sitting are at a higher risk of dying early.

Sitting cannot be reversed by one hour of exercise. Regardless of how intense your workout is, you still need to get up at least every 90 minutes to move around a bit. One hour on the treadmill does not fix your 12 hours of sitting.

DON’T eat lots of sugar

Sugar wreaks havoc on your body in a number of ways, but one of them is your vein health. The more sugar you take in, the more your body produces a lipoprotein that can get stuck to the walls of your blood vessels. And this is a massive problem for your veins. With this build-up of plaque on your blood vessel walls, your blood can clot, which will lead to vein issues, along with a number of other problems (including high cholesterol). You want to avoid overdoing sugar, and also make sure you’re drinking lots of water to keep your vessels clot-free.

DON’T think your vein problems will disappear.

When you start to feel that something may be off with your veins, you want to get to a vein specialist. The longer that you leave your vein problems untreated, the higher you’re putting yourself at risk of developing some serious health issues. If you put off treating your veins too long, you could end up with deep vein thrombosis. And trust us — this is something you do not want to face. One of the most terrifying parts about DVT is what else it puts you at risk of, including potentially-fatal pulmonary embolisms. How about you skip worrying about that, and simply contact a vein specialist near you when you sense something with your veins is off.

DON’T smoke.

Again, smoking is another thing that puts your entire body at risk of a whole slew of problems. Even your veins are not immune to the dangers of smoking. Chemicals in cigarettes can cause your blood to thicken and lose oxygen, which makes your blood flow much more slowly. Pair that with the fact that the nicotine in cigarettes hardens your arteries, and you are looking at high chances of some serious blood clots happening. So, toss away the cigarette and your veins will thank you.

DOs

We aren’t all about what you shouldn’t do — there are some things you should definitely be doing to help your vein health.

DO walk regularly.

Walking is one of the best ways to keep your veins healthy, and the top choice of how you can combat that sedentary lifestyle. Walking is great because it is low-impact and gets your circulation going without putting too much strain on the rest of your body. By walking simply 30 minutes a day, you will do a lot of good to your veins.

DO maintain a healthy diet.

As mentioned above, eating too much sugar can cause problems for your veins. So, instead, focus on a healthy diet free of excess sugar and salt, and see your vein health improve. Eating healthy for your veins is easy. Here are some tips on how to boost your health to help your veins:

Increase fiber intake. Not only does fiber help your body digest food better, it also keeps your body from absorbing unhealthy fats.

Eat more vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts collagen and elastic creation in your body, which is key to keeping your veins contracting and dilating so they can do their job.

Drink more water. Water is key to keeping your system flushed and keeping you all-around healthy. We bet you’re not drinking as much as you should be!

Up your rutin intake. “Rutin? What’s that?” Rutin is a flavonoid and antioxidant that help reduce inflammation caused by damaged veins. It also serves to help prevent blood clots.

Lower salt consumption. Too much salt in your diet can lead to fluid retention, which adds pressure to your veins and could cause them some serious harm.

DO elevate your legs.

Don’t wait until the end of the day — elevate your legs throughout the day to help with circulation. You can do this by either resting them on your desk or a table, or by lying against a wall and putting your legs up the wall. Elevating your legs gives your veins a break from their work, and takes pressure off of your legs.

DO get vein problems treated.

As long as they are handled early-on, vein problems you are having should be a fairly easy and painless thing to treat. At Vein Clinics of America, we offer a number of minimally invasive procedures that will have you back on your feet in no time, healthy and ready to rock ‘n roll. So what are you waiting for? Don’t wait until something terrible happens. Start changing your bad habits around to get your vein health on track, and your entire body will thank you.

Physicians

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